Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $183.00.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on VLO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $192.00 price objective (up from $190.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $195.00 target price (down previously from $198.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $169.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Valero Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday.

Key Stories Impacting Valero Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting Valero Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board raises quarterly cash dividend to $1.20 (annualized $4.80), a 6.2% increase from the prior payout — a signal of cash-flow confidence and higher shareholder return. Valero Energy Corporation Increases Regular Cash Dividend on Common Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Valero bought a Venezuelan crude cargo under Washington’s deal with Caracas — this provides an additional, potentially lower-cost feedstock supply for Gulf Coast refineries and could help downstream margins. Exclusive: Valero buys Venezuelan oil cargo as part of Washington’s deal with Caracas
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary note softer WTI/crude under $60 can boost refiners like Valero by lowering feedstock costs and supporting margins — a favorable backdrop for expected earnings. Softness in Oil Price: What Lies Ahead for VLO’s Refining Operations?
• Positive Sentiment: ETF/asset manager mentions: VanEck highlighted VLO among oil plays, which can attract fund flows and investor attention. VanEck spotlights SLB, HAL, BKR, PSX, and VLO as oil plays
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and valuation pieces note VLO’s earnings cadence and mixed valuation signals (P/E vs DCF) — useful context but not an immediate catalyst. A Look At Valero Energy (VLO) Valuation As P/E And DCF Send Mixed Signals
• Neutral Sentiment: Inclusion in broader dividend/safe-stock roundups and S&P 500/refining scale pieces reinforces visibility but is not a near-term earnings driver. Goldman Sachs Says Correction Could Be Coming: 5 Safe Dividend Stocks From The Conviction List
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded VLO from “strong-buy” to “hold,” which could pressure sentiment among some retail and model-driven investors. Zacks.com

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In other news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.02, for a total transaction of $1,728,540.66. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 134,196 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,352,787.92. The trade was a 6.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 2.5% during the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,724,707 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,576,035,000 after purchasing an additional 286,942 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 16.7% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,141,511 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,089,897,000 after acquiring an additional 1,164,217 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $827,390,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.0% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,273,517 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $897,869,000 after acquiring an additional 249,195 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 5.3% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 4,143,672 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $705,502,000 after purchasing an additional 209,597 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of VLO stock opened at $187.00 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $174.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $162.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Valero Energy has a 12 month low of $99.00 and a 12 month high of $194.35. The company has a market cap of $57.04 billion, a PE ratio of 39.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.77.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.51. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.21% and a return on equity of 8.69%. The business had revenue of $32.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.80 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.14 EPS. Valero Energy’s revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Valero Energy will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 5th will be issued a $1.20 dividend. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 5th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 94.36%.

Valero Energy Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texas–based integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The company’s operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers.

In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products.